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The Hunter Gratzner consisted of a cockpit and bridge section, its engine column and a total of five mismatched cargo containers. Two of the forward containers held over forty passengers while the other containers held cargo and supplies.

The Hunter Gratzner was equipped with numerous emergency features, such as drag fins to slow the ship in case of uncontrollable turbulence, and a system that enabled the vessel to jettison excess mass, such as the cargo containers or even the engines in more severe circumstances. The ship was also served by a limited artificial intelligence, which automatically piloted the ship and was mostly answerable to the crew.

The Hunter Gratzner was taking a roundabout route to the Tangier system when it flew through a comet's tail and was badly damaged. With its captain Tom Mitchell dead and ship officers Owens and Fry left to take control, the ship began to plummet towards the nearest planet. Fry managed to jettison most of the ship before Owens stopped her, and the vessel, somewhat lighter and more controllable, was able to effect a crash landing which ended in a heated impact and a miles-long skid to a rough stop in the middle of the desert.